Kapitan Khlebnikov icebreaker finishes 2019-2020 winter navigation
The Kapitan Khlebnikov diesel electric icebreaker returned to the home seaport of Vladivostok on April 14, 2020 upon completion of the 79-day work to provide icebreaker support for vessels in the Sea of Okhotsk and the Sea of Japan, Rosmorport says in a press release.
This year the icebreaker has begun its operation in the seaport of Vanino where in January the icebreaker provided support for vessels before the arrival of the Novorossiysk icebreaker. Then the Kapitan Khlebnikov was redeployed to the seaport of Prigorodnoye where it provided icebreaker support for vessels, gas carriers and large-capacity tankers in mid-March.
Due to the extreme ice situation on the approaches toward the seaport of Vanino the Kapitan Khlebnikov icebreaker suspended its work during the period of February 24-27 to unblock carriers in the seaport. Upon the successful completion of the operations to withdraw vessels from the seaport of Vanino into open water the icebreaker returned to the seaport of Prigorodnoye to provide further icebreaker support for vessels.
Upon completion of its work in the seaport of Prigorodnoye the Kapitan Khelbnikov icebreaker has not ended the winter navigation. At the end of March jointly with Russia’s Defense Ministry icebreakers – the Sadko and the Ivan Susanin, the Kapitan Khelbnikov icebreaker provided support for warships and auxiliary vessels of the Pacific Fleet. By the idea of the drills, in an off-shore maritime zone a detachment of Pacific Ocean ships was due to pass La Perouse Strait to the northeast. Ice floes in this navigation area would not allow warships with no ice class to make safe passage without using a linear icebreaker of such class as the Kapitan Khlebnikov.
The icebreaker successfully provided support for vessels of the Pacific Fleet and arrived in the seaport of Korsakov. It took in tow the Primorets dredger escorted by the Posyetskaya hopper and set course for the seaport of Nakhodka on April 9. The icebreaker successfully delivered the dredging convoy to the seaport of Nakhodka and then returned to the seaport of Vladivostok.
During the winter navigation the Kapitan Khlebnikov icebreaker has performed 45 icebreaker support operations for 74 vessels and passed over 5,300 nautical miles.
During the 2020 summer and autumn navigation, the icebreaker has to undergo dock repairs and prepare for the next winter navigation.